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AJ targets national service

Andrew Johnson is confident his move to Fulham will help him to get back in the England squad.

By Chris Burton

Last Updated: 09/08/08 12:33pm

Andrew Johnson is confident his move to Fulham will help him to get back in the England squad.

The striker completed a switch to Craven Cottage on Thursday and is hoping for a fresh start on his return to the capital following an injury plagued 2007/08 campaign at Everton.

The former Crystal Palace man insists he had no hesitation in turning his back on a side who secured fifth spot in the Premier League last season for one who required a miraculous escape to avoid the drop.

He also believes that regular football under Roy Hodgson's guidance will allow him to catch the eye of national coach Fabio Capello.

"I have a small family now and I think they settled better in London rather than up north," he said.

"Plus, I think (playing first-team football) was a factor behind the move.

"Everton play with one up front home and away so you have four players fighting for one spot, which is difficult.

"I only played a limited amount of games and when I did play, I was up there on my own and could not get going.

"I have England ambitions. Playing week in and week out will help me get back into the England squad.

"England is still in the back of my mind. I want to be in the squad and playing for Fulham can only help that."

Hodgson is delighted to have got Johnson on board ahead of the new season and is excited by the prospect of partnering him with another of his summer recruits, Bobby Zamora.

"We are fully aware of Andy's qualities and we will try to organise our team around that," he said.

"His record of one (goal) in three (games) in the Premier League is a good record - particularly by Fulham's standards. If he can do better than that, we'll be delighted.

"I was not interested in signing a player who'd be a liability to us when we did not have the ball.

"We want players who work hard to get the ball and people like Andy and Bobby are team players.

"That's why we were prepared to invest so much money in these players. They can't always have good games but those good players' value will remain solid."